Power and Eloquence

Posted by Don Smith (California, United States) on 4 June 2009 in Landscape & Rural.

This is perhaps my favorite of all my Nevada Fall posts as I feel this image truly captures what I felt about the power of the fall. To make this image required leaning my body, camera, 70-200mmL lens, and tripod over a metal railing so I could get the desired angle to look right into the teeth of this explosive wall of water.

I wasn't sure if the rainbow appearing in the mist would record properly, but I converted the image to LAB mode, and added Curves adjustments to the "a" and "b" channel only and was able to render the bow the way my eye saw the color. I also bracketed shutter speeds and did not believe 1/125th would freeze the water correctly. In actuality, it froze it just enough, and also allowed for just enough motion to add some eloquence - I know - sounds weird! In my frames shot at 1/500th, the water looked too frozen.

If our images are to make a statement, we as photographers have to be clear in our mind what that statement is prior to attempting to make the image. I mentioned in a previous post that Nevada Fall is my favorite of all of the Yosemite falls because of its powerfulness. Hopefully I conveyed not only power, but also a touch of abstractness and eloquence with this image.

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Comments (12)

zOOm from Paris, France

It looks like clouds too ! Fantastic. A lovely abstract.

4 Jun 2009 7:42am

@zOOm: I hadn't thought of clouds Florence, but now that you mention it...

Elena Kotrotsou from Drossia, Greece

Excellent composition!

4 Jun 2009 8:13am

@Elena Kotrotsou: This is really the only fall I can think of in Yosemite that affords this vantage point. Because the fall was near its peak, it seemed only natural.

Tracy from La Selva Beach, United States

Stunning. Powerful. But fleeting and fragile too, somehow.
Wonderful.

4 Jun 2009 1:02pm

@Tracy: Very well said Tracy. It's really the ebb and flow of nature - or nature's cycle if you will. To think that this fall will be but a mere trickle come October - then the winter snows return.

Elora from Genoa, Italy

Absolutely fantastic. This is a truly powerful image and that hint of rainbow is just great!

4 Jun 2009 1:39pm

@Elora: Thanks Elora, the rainbow was truly a fortuitous addition and I had no way of knowing it would be there at the time I arrived. As the old saying goes: "I'd rather be lucky...!"

Hema Iyer from Bangalore, India

wow....just awesome.

4 Jun 2009 2:03pm

@Hema Iyer: Thank you Hema.

MARIANA from waterloo, Canada

All your effort to take this shot was really worth ! FASCINATING !

4 Jun 2009 2:41pm

@MARIANA: Hey Mariana, thanks for your nice words and email!

Marie LC from Voiron, France

Fantastique ! on se demande s'il s'agit de nuages ou d'eau, c'est excellent !

4 Jun 2009 2:59pm

@Marie LC: Merci Marie.

john4jack from Corvallis, Oregon, United States

Don, There is a combination of power and delicacy. This photograph has a very mystical, Zenlike feel. Ansel Adams taught many of us of the importance of pre-visualizing. With the sophistication and complexity of digital darkroom software these days, I find that I often have to try a number of different options to get my desired outcome. I also find that from time to time, I see something in the process that I like better than my original intention. To put it another way, fluidity and openness are an important part of my process.

4 Jun 2009 5:56pm

@john4jack: Hey Jack, I completely agree with your line of thinking. This is one of the side benefits of digital, it has opened all our minds to new possibilities of the finished image. I also received your e-mail the other day and have to tell you that Ansel Adams and Galen Rowell are perhaps two of my most influential photographers also, and whose work I continually study. I have had the great fortune of meeting Al Weber, who taught with Ansel for 20 years and still teaches! He has generously shared a wealth of knowledge with me. Gary and I both try to teach this philosophy about visualizing the finished image in our workshops. Once people learn what the camera's limitations are, they can begin the process of bringing the image more in line to their site, or allowing the camera's limitations to work for them.

Scott Schilling from San Martin, United States

Dear Don, first I want to say that this image has so much visual tension for me! I was there looking at this scared to death, and this image captures perfectly what it feels like for me to look down at this waterfall and the power - the play of shadow and light in this helps to create and add to the interest throughout the image - and then of course you had to have a rainbow just to top it off!! Excellent work on this!

Second I wanted to thank you for your kind words on the blog today. I have always appreciated visiting your website, your blog, and you are always willing to share information and do anything to help us take better photographs!! Thanks! Have a wonderful and safe trip on the Mendocino Workshop - get ready for lightning when you get back during the summer.

5 Jun 2009 2:22am

@Scott Schilling: Thanks Scott, it will be fun in Mendocino and I am looking forward to the workshop! I do admit, I am looking forward to slowing down a bit over the next month and I plan to spend more time working on personal projects. It will be a busy summer, I have a huge project I will begin in July (tell you about it later). And yes, when I return, we will have to keep an eye on the Sierra weather!